Chapter 367 — Sisters

The Prince of Liao.

The Empress.

Wang Yuan.

Wang Ge.

The Emperor.

The Crown Prince.

Cui Junyi.

Kuang Zhuoran.

Jiang Jie.

Dai Jian.

Dou Yan wrote these names out on a sheet of xuan paper, then sank into thought.

But several days passed and still she could not work out the connection between these people—though word did come from Song Yan's side.

Wang Ge and Cui Junyi had entered the palace at the same time. Both were glib and quick-tongued, both knew how to please the eunuch over them, but Wang Ge was the more nimble of the two, and often slipped a little silver to his superior as a token of respect. So when it came time to choose attendants for the Crown Prince, it was Wang Ge whom their superior recommended. But Wang Ge could read only a few simple characters at the time, and the Crown Prince was not satisfied with him and sent him back. Cui Junyi, learning that Wang Ge had secured the chance by greasing palms, stamped with regret; and when he heard Wang Ge had been returned, he borrowed silver and went to their superior. Before long Cui Junyi was recommended to the Eastern Palace. Not long after, Cui Junyi, being able to read and write, found favor with the Crown Prince, and soon was attending to brush and ink in the Crown Prince's study. Gradually Cui Junyi became the Crown Prince's trusted confidant, a eunuch of the fourth rank proper. Wang Ge, meanwhile, was still struggling along at the seventh rank. Had he not seized his chance and become Wang Yuan's adopted son, he would likely still be scrubbing chamber pots in some forgotten corner.

And so the feud between the two was fixed.

Suxin found it hard to believe. "Just for that? The two of them have been trading blows for nearly twenty years?"

"Is that not serious enough?" Dou Xin said. "One rank above and you can crush a man to death! Among eunuchs the hierarchy is even stricter—one careless step and it can cost you your life. Never mind the rest: Cui Junyi today is a man who can speak with Wang Yuan, while Wang Ge must call Wang Yuan 'Father,' kneel, and knock his head to the floor before him. On that alone, Wang Ge must lie awake night after night."

"But what does any of this have to do with the Kuang family's business?" Suxin asked, puzzled.

Dou Yan murmured, "If I knew that, what would I have to fret about?"

Suxin hesitated. "Then... why not go consult Old Chen?"

At that Dou Yan's spirits lifted, but on second thought she dimmed again.

The matter was grave. Chen Yanzhou was already nearing the age of fifty. She had meant, if the situation remained unclear before the palace coup, to entrust Chen Yanzhou, Duan Bing, and the others to Dou Yan's care; she did not want to drag Chen Yanzhou into it to live in fear.

"Let me think on it myself first," Dou Yan said, putting Suxin off.

Ganlu came in and reported, "Madam, that gentleman from the Embroidered Uniform Guard's Zhenfu Office has come again. He says he wishes to see you."

The little maids were all full of resentment.

Chen Jia had come once, exchanged a few words, and walked off with a residence from the heir apparent. Who knew what he would wheedle out of them this time?

Dou Yan rather thought the man never darkened a door without a purpose—most likely it concerned the two maids he had mentioned before.

If he truly could settle the matter, it would be a gift of coal in the snow.

Dou Yan felt a touch of admiration for Chen Jia.

She told Ganlu to show Chen Jia into the small flower hall for tea, changed her clothes, and went with Suxin to the small flower hall.

Chen Jia stood in the middle of the hall, respectful as ever, listening for her approach. He shot her a swift glance, then lowered his eyelids and made his bow.

Dou Yan asked him warmly to sit.

Chen Jia did not stand on ceremony; he seated himself far from her, in an armchair near the door.

When the maid had set down the tea and withdrawn, he said, "The two sisters I mentioned to you last time have now arrived in the capital. If you wish to look them over, I will call them in at once."

More likely they had been waiting outside the gate all along.

It was well that Suxin was here; let her lend an eye.

Dou Yan said, "I must trouble you, Commissioner Chen. Bring them for Suxin to have a look at."

Chen Jia rose at the words.

Suxin went with him to the outer courtyard.

Half an incense stick later she came back to report: "The two girls are surnamed Li, from Wuyi. The elder is called Jingui, just past her coming-of-age; the younger is Yingui, thirteen this year. Their looks are merely presentable, but their skill in arms is excellent—far better than my sister and me. They seem honest enough too. If properly trained, serving tea and water at your side would suit them well..." Here her face showed some hesitation, and she said, "The Embroidered Uniform Guard spies on all the officials; nothing that comes into their hands is a small matter. My fear is that, to find you two suitable maids, Chen Jia either dragged their parents into it, or took the girls by invoking the heir apparent's name. So I questioned the two girls privately about their origins.

"By their account, their family were lay disciples of Southern Shaolin in earlier generations, living by farming, with over three hundred mu of good fields. But everyone in the family practices martial arts, and the uncles and cousins, once grown, must all go out into the world to temper themselves—though never displaying their skill before the villagers. Their grandfather, in his youth, served as chief escort master in the largest escort agency in Fuzhou, and made something of a name for himself in the south, and on that account took several disciples.

"One of those disciples took to the hills as a bandit.

"Last summer that disciple suddenly came secretly to find their father, saying his stronghold had been wiped out by the authorities and he had barely escaped with his life. He was now a wanted man, and begged their father for a few taels of silver to flee with. Their father, fearing trouble for the family, gave him ten taels. But the man had not even left Fujian before the yamen caught him. Their family was implicated on that account, charged as accomplices, the whole household thrown into prison, and the fields confiscated to the state.

"It was Commissioner Chen who rescued the two sisters and had them brought out of prison.

"Commissioner Chen also told the sisters this: if the two of them found favor with you, madam, their whole family would go free; if they failed to please you, then the two of them would be sent straight back to prison, and their family would be dealt with as the law saw fit.

"After I had questioned them, the two sisters took me for you, madam, and clutching my legs they cried 'Save us!'—saying they would do anything at all, if only their grandparents, their parents, uncles, and brothers and sisters might be spared."

At this, Suxin could not help feeling annoyed. She frowned and said, "What sort of business do you call this? How is this finding a maid for the madam? This is simply making trouble for the madam! Tell me, with things as they are in that family, if those two girls are telling the truth and we do not keep them, are we not destroying their whole family?"

Dou Yan had not thought that far. She smiled and said, "If that is truly the case, then of course we must keep them. Even if the two girls are not suited to serve in my rooms, there will be somewhere in this household to place them. But this matter must be discussed with the Heir Apparent. Are the two girls telling the truth? If we really do rescue them, will it be within the rules? I fear it will bring trouble on the Heir Apparent." At this she could not help smiling bitterly.

This Chen Jia was a man of no small skill. A few words were enough to frighten the two girls into never daring to harbor a second thought, for the sake of their parents' and brothers' lives.